"How we spend our days is how we spend our lives."- Annie Dillard
I am working on being more mindful about what I spend my time on. Because I am a Type A personality, I can get sucked into busyness and my to-do list rather than concentrating on what really matters. This week I've been deciding what 5 things make me happy that I can incorporate in my life frequently:
* More music. My musical tastes span a broad range of genres as well as eras. Music almost immediately boosts my mood.
* Quality time with close friends and relatives with whom I share similar values -- even though it's limited to Zoom or phone for now.
* Allowing myself space for my own creativity (thanks, Jackie Dishner, for the encouragement in that realm). Running a startup is a lot of work -- especially during a pandemic. I'm learning to carve out time to pursue my projects simultaneously, along with the hobbies that bring me great pleasure: gardening and creating healthy, delicious meals.
* Reading for inspiration and pleasure. Like music, reading feeds my soul. Because I edit and read as part of my job, I have to consciously carve out time to read for myself.
* Making an effort to practice being fully in the moment of whatever I choose to do at that time. Giving my undivided attention to the individual with whom I'm communicating and never assuming that the other person knows the kind and loving thoughts I have about them. Focusing on the good and saying only what is for building up. Because the ongoing pandemic has ramped up my anxiety, I am setting strong boundaries and cutting off people, who are negative, critical, and gossip about others. I prefer to spend my time and energy with those who focus on ideas, dreams and positive actions that we can take to contribute to the world at large.